Boko Haram: COAS Warns Soldiers Against Mutiny, Says Offenders Risk Death Sentence

Posted by African Examiner Featured, News Wednesday, August 20th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

As the Nigerian Army continues to map out strategies on how to flush out member of Boko Haram Insurgecie in the North the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has warned soldiers against mutiny or any form of sabotage.

The Army boss, made it clear that death sentence awaits any soldier implicated in mutiny related act, insisting that the Nigerian Army, has zero tolerance for any form of act of insubordination or indiscipline.

Addressing officers and men of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Enugu,on Tuesday as part of his maiden familiarization tour of formations in the country, the Army helmsman, was specifically angered by the action of some soldiers who refused to serve in Maiduguri, Borno State, and other parts of the North East zone.

African Examiner gathered that over 40 soldiers had last Monday allegedly mutinied in Borno state, over what they described as lack of “efficient, sufficient weapon and ammunition to face the deadly Boko Haram insurgents.

Reports said the said soldiers who packed at the entrance of Borno state, had refused to obey command from their superior, lamenting that they would neither leave the army nor fight insurgency until sophisticated and enough weapons are supplied to them.

The COAS, who vowed that Boko Haram, would soon be a thing of the past in Nigeria, disclosed that the Army is acquiring modern sophisticated weapons to crush the insurgents, adding, “all we need is the cooperation of all Nigerians”

“We are procuring more weapons for the war agaisnt Boko Haram, we will end the war with Boko Haram very, very soon, and there is no doubt, we will win the war,” Gen. Minimah stated

He however, posited that to win the war is the only way they can demonstrate to the country that they are capable, and then, “we would be able to hold Our heads high and walk tall in Nigeria.”

“Let us show the country that we can do that in the North East and then we shall walk tall in Nigeria,”.

The Chief of Army Staff, also used the forum to warn soldiers and officers’ wives, who recently staged a protest to stop their husbands from being deployed to troubled North east region.

While emphasising that the Army authorities would no longer tolerate such act of indiscipline, General Minimah, stressed that refusal to carry out commands, especially deployment for military action in the North East also, tantamount to mutiny.

He therefore, condemned the action of the spouses of the army officers who demonstrated against the deployment of their husbands, insisting that a repeat of such incident will attract serious sanction.

The army chief stressed that “these women have no hand in military postings, which is purely military act”, adding that, should the wives of army officers repeat the action, “soldiers would koboko them.”

He said after all, “Nigerian Army Officers’ Wives Association” (NAOWA), the umbrella body of army officers’ wives, is not a trade union and as a result has no reason to interfere in military matters.

The General, wondered if the soldiers’ wives thought that the army was ‘Boys Scout Movement or a Boys Brigade that they should come and disrupt army business.’

On the 2015 general elections, the COAS also warned soldiers to steer clear of politics and politicians who might want to use them to score cheap political points, saying they should only work for politicians when they are on official engagements during electioneering campaigns or during elections proper.

 

 

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